Limited free bus fares available under pilot program

Posted 2/2/17

As a new 50-cent reduced RIPTA bus fare went into effect Wednesday for seniors and disabled, the Rhode Island Division of Elderly Affairs (RIDEA) and Office of Veterans Affairs (RIOVA) launched a pilot program to offer free 10-trip fare cards to

This item is available in full to subscribers.

Please log in to continue

E-mail
Password
Log in

Limited free bus fares available under pilot program

Posted

As a new 50-cent reduced RIPTA bus fare went into effect Wednesday for seniors and disabled, the Rhode Island Division of Elderly Affairs (RIDEA) and Office of Veterans Affairs (RIOVA) launched a pilot program to offer free 10-trip fare cards to qualifying Rhode Island seniors and veterans.

The agencies will be purchasing a limited number of $5 fare cards (10 Trips) to distribute to senior citizens and veterans who have qualified for the Rhode Island Public Transit Authority's (RIPTA) Reduced Fare Bus Pass Program. Through the end of the current fiscal year, $150,000 will be invested in the pilot program, with an allocation of $300,000 proposed in the Fiscal Year 2018 Budget for continuation of the program.

The Division of Elderly Affairs will partner with senior centers throughout the state, The POINT at United Way of Rhode Island, and the City of Providence's Office of Senior Services to distribute fare cards to seniors who carry the "Senior, Valid All Day, Reduced Fare Bus Pass" on a first come first serve basis.

"Many Rhode Island seniors utilize public transit services to run errands - shopping at the market, picking up prescriptions, going to appointments - but they also take RIPTA buses to the senior center, to see family, to catch up with friends," said RIDEA Director Charles J. Fogarty in a release. "Affordable and accessible transportation services are needed to keep older adults socially engaged."

The Office of Veterans Affairs will distribute the fare cards on a first come first serve basis to veterans who hold "Valid All Day, Reduced Fare Bus Pass" cards at their locations in Warwick, Exeter and Bristol, as well as through a partnership at the Providence VA Medical Center.

"Our veterans have served us and this pilot program gives us an opportunity to serve them," said RIOVA Director Kasim J. Yarn. "Assisting veterans with their transportation needs - whether it's getting to the grocery store or visiting their American Legion post - is one way to recognize and honor their sacrifice."

Eligible seniors and veterans can visit distribution sites on a monthly basis to receive new $5 fare cards, while supplies last. The $5 fare card must be used in conjunction with a qualifying reduced fare bus pass, otherwise the user will be charged the full fare. The 50-cent fare being implemented is one-fourth of the full RIPTA fare, which is $2. For those in the Reduced Fare Bus Pass Program, a transfer will also be one-fourth full transfer price, or 25 cents.

The majority of people enrolled in the Reduced Fare Bus Pass Program have Medicaid coverage, which will pay for trips to non-emergency medical destinations such as doctor's visits, physical therapy visits and much more. As a result, the fare cards are intended to augment that travel and assist people in getting to the store, community centers and other destinations.

The Coalition to Preserve No-Fare Bus Passes has been a vocal critic of the decision to eliminate the program that allowed those who qualified to ride for free, and continued to express disapproval of the pilot program. Members declared it “short-sighted in the extreme and will have dire consequences for thousands of vulnerable people and for the state’s Medicaid budget.”

“We will continue the fight to restore the No-Fare Bus Passes. There is too much at stake for thousands of extremely vulnerable people. Although over 2,000 postcards and hundreds of phone calls to the Governor have not achieved that, we thank everyone who expressed that support,” the coalition said in a press release. “We promise to work in the General Assembly to restore the legislative mandate for no-fare passes that worked very well for forty years.”

However, officials said that the pilot program is the result of a variety of State agencies working together on the issue of affordable transportation for low-income senior citizens and veterans. State leaders recognize that this program may not serve the needs of all riders, and are committed to learning from these pilot programs to understand how to best serve the populations impacted by RIPTA's fare increase.

For a listing of senior center distribution locations, contact the Division of Elderly Affairs at 462-3000 or The POINT at 462-4444. For a listing of veteran distribution locations, contact the Office of Veterans Affairs at 921-2119.

Passengers not yet enrolled in the Reduced Fare Bus Pass Program can obtain a reduced fare pass by submitting the requisite information to RIPTA's Photo Identification Office, which is open at 705 Elmwood Avenue in Providence on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. and from 1-4 p.m. The office is open at Kennedy Plaza in downtown Providence on Mondays and Wednesday, from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. and from 1-4 p.m. For more information on the Reduced Fare Bus Pass Program, customers can visit bit.ly/1iYyI5l.

Area senior and veteran and distribution locations include:

RI Office of Veterans Affairs

560 Jefferson Boulevard, Warwick, RI 02886/921-2119

Johnston Senior Center: serving seniors living in Johnston, Foster and Scituate

1291 Hartford Avenue, Johnston, RI 02919/944-3343

Cranston Senior Services: serving seniors living in Cranston

1070 Cranston Street, Cranston, RI 02920/780-6000

West Warwick Senior Center: serving seniors living in West Warwick, Coventry, West Greenwich and East Greenwich

145 Washington Street, West Warwick, RI 02893/822-4450

Pilgrim Senior Center: serving seniors living in Warwick

27 Pilgrim Parkway, Warwick, RI 02888/468-4090

Comments

No comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here